Essex County Council - Future Highways Provision

What happening in Highways? Essex County Council’s (the Council) current Highways Strategic Transformation Contract (Highways Contract) ends on the 31st March 2027 with no further option to extend. Therefore, the Council has started on our journey of discovery, regarding how the Highways Service provision could evolve and innovate beyond this date and would like to engage with the Highways Industry as part of this approach. Market engagement This notice marks the launch of a series of market engagement events to let you know where we are in this process, listen and learn what the industry has to offer, in terms of new technologies and innovation, sustainability, decarbonisation, social value, and potential income generation opportunities…to name a few. The Council is also keen to understand marketplace opportunities and limitations better and engage in discussion regarding available options. Market engagement event The launch event will be held in person in Essex on the 5th July 2023. In person attendance will be on a first come, first served basis (limited to two attendees per company) due to limited availability at the venue. This will be an opportunity for you to network and we may also use Slido, an interactive Q&A system, to ask questions during the event. If you cannot attend in-person, the event will be live streamed on Microsoft Teams. Numbers for the virtual event are unlimited, and attendees will be directed to the virtual session if in person demand exceeds venue capacity. How do I register for the event? To register for the launch event (either in person or virtual), please complete and submit an attendance request form by 12pm Thursday 22nd June 2023. Registration, the attendance confirmation form, and further logistical information is available via the Council's e-sourcing portal, ProContract (https://procontract.due-north.com/Login). Search for the opportunity: “DN673754 Essex County Council – Future Highways Provision”. Attendance will be confirmed by Friday 23rd June 2023, via the portal, and virtual login details will be provided on the 3rd July 2023. Follow up market engagement questionnaire Following the launch event on the 5th July 2023, the Council will email a follow up questionnaire to all registered attendees (whether in person or virtual) to continue keeping in touch on this journey to a new way for Essex to deliver Highway Services. Further conversations and engagement sessions may be arranged, dependent on topic and intended audience. Subject matter and dates, currently, are pending. Further open market events will be advertised on Find a Tender Service and Contracts Finder, as required. Additional information: This PIN does not constitute a call for competition to procure any works or services and is not published to reduce time limited for the receipt of tenders. Interested parties will not be prejudiced by any response or (lack) to this PIN. Nor shall a response to this PIN guarantee an invitation to participate in this market consultation exercise or any future procurement process that Essex County Council may conduct. Essex County Council is not liable for any costs, fees or expenses incurred by any party responding to this PIN or any party who may participate in the market consultation exercise. Please direct all queries via the ProContract messaging functionality linked with the advertised opportunity. Anyone contacting the Council via email will be directed to the portal for communications. A registered supplier account is needed to access information, but registration is free of charge. The Proactis supplier helpdesk (https://www.proactis.com/uk/support-login/support/) can help with any registration queries. Please direct any technical queries to the helpdesk in the first instance.